Reichsluftfahrtministerium Bomber B Projekt

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today]"• The Junkers Ju-288 has its maiden flight. It is one of five competitors for the Reichsluftfahrtministerium Bomber B Projekt solicitation of 1939. The goal is to create a single medium bomber that would replace all other types in service. Requirements are a speed of 600 kph, a bomb load of 4,000 kg, range to reach any part of the UK from bases in France and Norway, a pressurized cabin, and remote controlled defensive weaponry.

 

- The Arado Ar-340 is quickly eliminated and no prototype is built. The other companies (Junkers, Dornier, Focke Wulf, and Henschel) will create them but the inability of German industry to craft powerful enough liquid cooled engines will result in them either having to use BMW radial engines that still don’t provide enough power, or coupled Daimler-Benz engines that compromise the designs by adding too much weight.

- The RLM had been so confident of a successful design that improvements to existing bombers were put on hold, resulting in the Luftwaffe bomber force having outdated aircraft when the Project failed. The companies will continue to try and improve performance with newer and experimental engines, but the RLM will cancel the Project and instead put priority in the four engine (two nacelles with coupled DB engines) He-177, a relic of the Bomber A Projekt of 1936.

 

Henschel Hs-130

 

 

Foke Wulf Fw-191

 

 

Dornier Do-317

 

 

[Bremspropeller]

The Ju 288 (top picture) with the proper Jumo 222 engines would have been a seriously cool aircraft.

But the Jumo 222 didn't make it in time and hence neither did the 288.

[ZachariasX]

The Jumo 222... A fantastic pipedream. All these troubles to get a lesser engine than the Double Wasp.

 

What always amazes me is the unlimited stupidity that makes some believe that a „one size fits all“ is a viable propostion when you are facing brutal competition at everything you are doing. A fraud then, a fraud now.

[sevenless]

I would go for the "Reichsfackel" "torch of the realm". ? or how they called that He-177.

[MiloMorai]

On 11/30/2020 at 4:28 PM, ZachariasX said:

The Jumo 222... A fantastic pipedream. All these troubles to get a lesser engine than the Double Wasp.

 

Well, when the goal posts kept changing.